Trophies night: The 2017-18 NBA Season Awards show

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The 2017-18 Season Awards show kicked off on Monday night in Santa Monica, California. The media voted six of the awards: MVP, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man Award and Most Improved Player.

Most Valuable Player

December 3, 2017: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. / VCG Photo

Houston Rockets point guard James Harden claimed the first Most Valuable Player Award of his career.

Harden beat out four-time MVP LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis for the honor, which he had finished a runner-up for last season to the Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook and in 2015 to the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry.

Harden is the third player in Rockets history to be named MVP, joining Moses Malone, who won it twice (1979, '82), and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994).

Harden was accompanied by his mother, Monja Willis, in accepting the award from NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

"I'm not getting emotional, I'm not doing all that, but she's my backbone," Harden said. "Good times, bad times. We only get one life and I'm happy she's my mom. I wouldn't have it any other way, for real."

Harden, 28, led the league in scoring last season when he averaged 30.4 points per game. He added 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game in leading the Rockets to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, where they fell to the eventual champion Warriors in Game 7 of the conference finals.

Coach of the Year

Head Coach Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors applauds in the second half of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre, May 3, 2018, in Toronto. /VCG Photo

Dwane Casey earned Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Raptors to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

Casey beat out Celtics coach Brad Stevens and Jazz coach Quin Snyder for the honor.

Under Casey, the Raptors won a franchise-record 59 games opposite 23 losses to claim the No. 1 seed in the East. However, Casey was fired after the Raptors' second consecutive second-round loss to LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Casey was hired as the new coach of the Detroit Pistons, replacing Stan Van Gundy. Casey also coached the Eastern Conference in this year's All-Star Game.

Rookie of the Year

November 20, 2017: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers backs up to the basket against the Utah Jazz at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. / VCG Photo

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year after the former No. 1 overall pick helped the team break its five-year playoff drought.

Simmons beat out Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

Simmons who turns 22 next month was taken with the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, but a broken foot sidelined him for the 2016-17 Season.

The 6-foot-10 guard averaged 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals over 81 games last season and averaged 16.3 points, 9.4 boards, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals in the playoffs.

Simmons helped the 76ers advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they lost to the Celtics in a five-game series.

Defensive Player of the Year

December 7, 2017: Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz and Tarik Black #28 of the Houston Rockets get tangled up under the basket in the second half of the 112-101 win by the Rockets at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. /VCG Photo

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, beating out Anthony Davis of the Pelicans and Joel Embiid of the 76ers.

Gobert, who turns 26 on Tuesday, missed 26 games during the regular season with multiple injuries, but still anchored a Jazz defense that posted the second-best defensive rating (101.6) in the NBA last season.

The Frenchman averaged 13.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 56 games to earn his second straight NBA All-Defensive first-team selection. Gobert led the league in blocks in 2016-17 with 2.6 per game.

Sixth Man of the Year

November 18, 2017: Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers handles the ball against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. /VCG Photo

Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams is now a two-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award winner after being named the league's best bench player for the 2017-18 campaign.

Williams, who also won the award with the Toronto Raptors in 2014-15, averaged career highs of 22.6 points and 5.3 assists, along with 1.1 steals in 79 games (19 starts) last season with the Clippers.

He beat finalists Eric Gordon of the Rockets and Fred VanVleet of the Raptors. Gordon won the award last season.

Most Improved Player

December 23, 2017: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers motions goodbye to the crowd after defeating the Brooklyn Nets in overtime at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. /VCG Photo

Pacers guard Victor Oladipo is the NBA's Most Improved Player after a stellar first season in Indiana that ended in a playoff showdown with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Oladipo beat out fellow finalists Clint Capela of the Rockets and Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets.

Oladipo, 26, averaged a career-high 23.1 points with 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals to earn his first career All-Star selection, as well as a spot on the All-NBA third team and the All-Defensive first team.

In the playoffs, Oladipo averaged 22.7 points, 8.3 boards, 6.0 assists and 2.4 steals, but it wasn't enough to send the Pacers onto the conference semifinals, as they lost to the Cavaliers in seven games.

Also, Daryl Morey, Houston Rockets won the Executive of the Year voted on by the league's executives. Jamal Crawford from Minnesota Timberwolves awarded Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year by the players. The Sportsmanship Award went to Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker. The NBA Final FMVP Kevin Durant got Cares Community Assist Award. Lifetime Achievement Award went to Oscar Robertson.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters